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The weathers getting nicer, and it seems the insects are out to get me, my body isn't dealing with them the way it use to,my whole arm and/or leg have swollen up where I've been bit, and the flesh feels very warm almost feverish like, can this be caused by HIV?Anyone have similar reaction?, any feed back would be appreciated!

I think this sounds like a general bad reaction to an insect bite -- sounds painful. I'd speak to a doctor about it. Not sure if it is related to HIV, but I do know HIV neg people who have this kind of reaction too.

I've alway had bad reactions to mosquito bites. I get huge welts and if I have multiple bite the whole area is swollen and warm to the touch. I don't think it is HIV related because It has always been like that.

Actually, now that I think of it, when my CD4 was low I don't remember having as severe of a reaction.

I was in Florida one time and got bitten all over. They swelled up the size of silver dollars. I had never experienced anything like that before. It scared me. I'm not sure if the bites were from some weird bug or what. They went down within a few hours. This was back before I had HIV.

I've suffered from allergic reactions to meds in the past, but not to insect bites, this is how I react to them now that I'm undetectable, prior when I was a real mess health wise, I never had such severe reactions. I guess I worded my thread wrong-maybe I should have written: bad reaction to insect bites hiv reconstitution syndrome related?, or something similar.The swelling has gone down some, but the itch is driving me crazy especially at night when I'm trying to sleep, and I didn't get good sleep to begin with, now the lack of sleep is making me a real cranky s-o-b! Sorry for ranting...

****tednlou2: the thing is, the whole arm/ or leg is swollen, not just at the bite site, and no I haven't moved anywhere, the last reaction I had like this took almost a week for my arm to go back to normal, and stop itching.MtD: I've tried Benadryl anti-itch spray that helps for about an hour or so, going to buy the pills later today.jg1962 & GSOgymrat: what do you guys use to help alleviate the problem?averagejoe1977:am going to make an appt with derm, but he's usually booked, so by the time he does see me, I'm not going to look like this, but hopefully he can shed some light as to why suddenly I'm an insect magnet.

A couple of years before I became poz, I had what I thought was a spider bite on my leg (it was January, and nothing else seemed the likely culprit). It started out just as a little bite mark, and then continued to swell. The area around the "bite" got very warm and hard, and very painful, and I started having a very high temperature. A trip to the emergency room the next day revealed that what I had was not, in fact, an insect bite at all but rather was a staff infection. (It may have started out with a bite or a scratch, but then it took on a life of its own). I ended up on IV antibiotics for the next 11 days (while my condition improved somewhat but did not resolve) before my doctor did a culture and discovered that I had a methicillin- resistant staph infection (MRSA), which meant that I had been treated with the wrong antibiotics all along. It took several weeks of taking the correct high-powered antibiotics before I fully recovered.

Anyway, your comment that the flesh around your bites was very swollen and warm and feverish set off major alarms for me. If your condition has not improved since you first posted this topic, go to en emergency room immediately to get checked out and make sure it's not staph. A staph infection is nothing to mess around with -- it literally can kill you. Don't wait until tomorrow to go to your doctor.

If, on the other hand, your swelling has gone down, it's probably not MRSA, because MRSA doesn't easily resolve on its own without strong antibiotics.

This is good advice. Scratch your insect bites too much, and they could get infected. A staph infection would be particularly nasty.

I don't think gonzo's reactions to insect bites are HIV-related. I know I've always been sensitive to mosquito bites, and develop big welts when I get bitten. Last weekend I had a nasty encounter with chiggers, and now have welts around both of my ankles, and my waist. I *hate* chiggers.

Benadryl (both topical and oral) could help relieve your symptoms.

Regards,

Henry

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I have to wear repellent when outdoors because the bugs really go for me for some reason .

I got bit by a tick last week right on my ass , when that happens it takes months to heal and itches like crazy .

One good thing I can say about the winters in the North is that below zero weather kills off a lot of bugs. Unlike the "winter" here in SC that barely even went below 30, and has left us with a zillion bugs.

I use Deep Woods Off anytime I go outside, if not whatever small portion of exposed, unsprayed skin becomes a buffet for the skitters. The bugs are actually attracted to your cardon dioxide and lactic acid output. http://www.newsweek.com/2008/07/02/are-some-people-mosquito-magnets.html Rite Aid has their generic-version clear (calamine) anti-itch lotion that I used when the bugs do bite and leave an itchy welt.

The weathers getting nicer, and it seems the insects are out to get me, my body isn't dealing with them the way it use to,my whole arm and/or leg have swollen up where I've been bit, and the flesh feels very warm almost feverish like, can this be caused by HIV?Anyone have similar reaction?, any feed back would be appreciated!

Thanks!gonzo

Hi Gonzo, I've always been an attractant for mosquitoes and certain skin types are zeroed in on more than others. I saw a piece on TV about mosquitoes and they have incredible tracking skills and I seem to recall there's something having to do with cholesterol, too (I'll try to look that up and add to this post).

What I've noticed since becoming positive is the bite sites swell ENORMOUSLY and subside somewhat faster than before, but do get hot to the touch and sometimes rather hard.

I wondered if it's just a by-product of being older. Don't know the reason, but it definitely became markedly different after becoming pozitive. Em

added: this article contains much of what the TV item did...and the cholesterol reference is in there. http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/are-you-mosquito-magnetone more add: my cholesterol profile has always been excellent, unusual, but sum total excellentfinal add: most important, the article gives some good repellent advice for those of us so unlucky as to attract 'em

I've applied neosporin, used the anti-itch spray, as well as popped 2 allergy tabs, the swellings gone down, hoping the itching subsides some, that's really driving me up the wall.I invested in one of those Off clip-on things-I hope it works!

I would not use neosporin were I you (unless you've itched to the point of opening your skin and even then, very sparingly), but some calamine lotion (they now have clear not just the old style of chalky pink) may give you some additional relief.

hey G! I keep seeing the commercials about those and was reading about them too (deet, Avon skin so soft, something else and the metofluthrin in the cli-on are the chemicals that work against being bit). let us know what you think of that clip-on. Though that means you'll have to go play outside again and risk getting bit. LOL

I've been lucky and found that I can burn a couple citronella candles around the pool area (next to some woods) and not become a buffet for all the bugs when I'm out swimming.

Thanks for that link Em, very informative. and your right about the lotion. Like I mentioned, Rite Aid carries their own generic brands (that work just as good IMHO) of the calamine/anti-itch lotion in pink or clear at about half the price of the "Calamine" brand

I thought a lot of allergies were the result of an overactive immune response to an "allergen". Thus it would be natural to have less allergies if your immune system is weakened or sidelined with the HIV fight.

The summer of my seroconversion, my hay fever disappeared. Oh, rats, its back this summer.... Must be a good sign ironically.

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Hi Gonzo, I've always been an attractant for mosquitoes and certain skin types are zeroed in on more than others.

What I've noticed since becoming positive is the bite sites swell ENORMOUSLY and subside somewhat faster than before, but do get hot to the touch and sometimes rather hard.

Hi Gonzo.

Ditto to the above, I've always been a target for Midgies and Mozzies and other bitey things but the allergic reaction to them is definitely a lot worse since being on meds but my clinic can give only a guess as to the cause.

From all of these responses I gather some of us do get a more intense reaction after being undetectable/ on meds.I been HIV+ since the summer of '90, and I never had reactions like this to insect bites until recently, guess it's something else I'll have to adapt to. The allergy tabs really helped with the itch, and knocked me out too-so I slept better than I usually do.And the clear calamine lotion was a god send, thanks for the advice.

***jg1962: Hope your brother gets well soon!Just John: did your clinic blame it on "reconstitution syndrome", I have an appt. with my derm, but that isn't until end of the month, wondering if I should cancel it if it's not going to go anywhere.weasel: going to have to try the OXY pads thanks for the tip, as for the off spray-I'm paranoid of putting that stuff on my skin so I'm using the Off Clip-On.leatherman: the Off Clip-On is working for me, but this thing is going to run me a pretty penny by the time the summers over, it costs almost $10 for the Clip-On and it comes with 1 refill, a refill lasts 12 hours of continuous use, plus it runs on 2 AA batteries, and additional refills cost about $4 for 2 in a pack, at least that's what they go for here in NYC.emeraldize: I did scratch hard is why I used the neo, but I did clip my fingernails short, last thing I want is any kind of infection.

I recently got "bitten" by something and my hand became swollen. I started getting itchy red bumbs on my leg and around my ankles. I took benedryl and it seemed to help. I like yourself am not reacting to insect bites like I once did....but then I only have 40 T-Cells. Guess that's to be expected huh? Don't forget the bug spray or skin so soft or whatever you use to keep the bugs off you....

From all of these responses I gather some of us do get a more intense reaction after being undetectable/ on meds.I been HIV+ since the summer of '90, and I never had reactions like this to insect bites until recently, guess it's something else I'll have to adapt to. The allergy tabs really helped with the itch, and knocked me out too-so I slept better than I usually do.And the clear calamine lotion was a god send, thanks for the advice.

Gonzo,You're welcome--I love the clear stuff. Since I'm just starting meds tonight, I have to add that my reactions to bites have been mounting during a treatment-naive period of years, but noticeable mostly within the last three. To say they reach the size of half a golf ball is not stretching it. Last feeding frenzy after some early evening weeding resulted in three huge welts all on the left arm. I am not going out again this summer without Off on. Glad you're doing better. I do understand the Neosporin use---once the skin is raw, it's better spread thin than thick is what I wanted to pass along.Em

I don't have an answer, but an observation. I, too, have had crazy reactions to bug bites. More to the point, bugs seem to seek me out like the dessert cart at a bar mitzvah. I get huge, hot, itchy welts from the bites. Not fun.

Well, here's my observation. I've recently discovered that I've been walking around with thrush. If you have an allergy to funguses (like thrush), you'll be hypersensitive to bug bites. Might want to check to see if you have thrush. A simple thing for your doctor to check.

yup - ever since I have been poz, I have been extermely sensitive to insect bites. makes outdoor cruising in the summer a really bitch, lol. seriously, even a few small mosquito bites turn into large, raised red bumps and they last for over a week. one Benadryl usually takes care of it, but I agree, there has been a definite change in my response to insect bites since becoming poz.

I once read and i do believe meds in the blood attracts mosquitoes. And the hits or bites really swell and itch. But.. I found a little solution (at least for me it works 100%) to knock the itch out of those mosquito bites. I put some Hydrogen Peroxide on a cotton ball, or just a piece of tp, and hold it firmly on the bite for 30 seconds or so. What happens, the bite stops itching and never itches again. And if I can apply some Hydrogen Peroxide before the bite starts itching, it never develops into an itch bite. I know its hard to believe, but this really works. I apply Hydrogen Peroxide to bites, new and old, all the time and never are bothered with the dam things again. Just give it a try. Hydrogen Peroxide is pretty cheap.

I Thought it was just me with the bug bites, i should have read this sooner.

I use to go camping and had to stop that about 4 years ago. i started getting bit like crazy and the reaction i had from it was scary. I would get big welts and they would itch like ,itch ,itch, i still have some scars on my legs as i could not help the itching, not just 1 bite but lots of them, no one else we were camping with got bitten like this, i was off my meds at the time.... so it cant be that.

Now i live if Florida and get bitten by bugs i cant even see. same reaction as the mosquitoes up north, a little bite turns into a big half dollar size swollen circle.,they are itchy, and seem to stay with me for awhile. I am guessing our immune system just isn't dealing well with whatever the insect is injectiing into us.. I hate bugs!

Insect bites have been hell on me the last few years. It seems to somewhat correlate to my being HIV+, as I certainly don't recall having such reactions in the past. Ant bites last weeks; mosquito bites take about a week to heal... if I can resist scratching. Benadryl would help, but I can't take it while at work, though I do use Benadryl cream. Other antihistamines (Allegra) that I take for allergies seem to help some, as does aspirin. Mostly, I use antibiotic ointment and Benadryl cream, and suffer.

When I was in India, I got bitten by mosquitoes and the bites turned into huge liquid filled blisters that alarmed the locals. So I definitely think there is a correlation between HIV and a more severe reaction to bug bites.

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I'm actually being absolutely swarmed when I step outside past 6 or 7pm now that it's summer time. Considering I'm pretty sure I've been positive for at a minimum 3 years I tend to think it's not HIV but maybe the meds that are causing this. Who knows. Anyway my reaction to the bites is the same as usual, but with 15 minutes outdoors I can expect no less than 10+ mosquito bites.

but with 15 minutes outdoors I can expect no less than 10+ mosquito bites.

here in SC, wherever I miss spraying the Off-spray will be the place that gets bit within minutes - every time. I now have a bottle by every door and spray whenever I step outside. Surround the pool, I burn 4 tiki torches with citronella fuel and burn 2 citronella candles.

and last nite a damn skitter came in the doggie door as the cockers were going in and out, and it left me with 10 big ol' welts before I found and killed that sucker. Argh!

Summer time is also hell for me, due to the bad reactions to mosquitoes bites. It started only few years ago before Meds. One thing I always keep in mind is to differentiate between an allergic reaction response and an actual infection (cellulitis). If one scratch, the broken skin can become infected needing oral or IV Antibiotics.